"Our Money Story: Restore" a sermon on Genesis 33:1-17 & John 21:1-19

Genesis 33:1-17
John 21:1-19
“Our Money Story: Restore”
Preached Sunday, November 13, 2022

Let me tell you a story that matters.

Once there were two brothers, twins! They moved around a lot in their mother’s womb, pushing against her and causing her to wonder what she got herself into. I think a lot of pregnant women think that! And so her children were born, the first came out red and hairy and his mom gave him the name Esau. The second brother came quickly after the first, holding on to his heel. And she named him Jacob.

The two boys grew up and Esau loved being outdoors. He was especially good at hunting. Jacob, meanwhile, was more of a quiet, subdued type who preferred staying at home. They may have been brothers, born on the same day, raised in the same home - but they were very different people. And still, they loved one another and Jacob loved Esau - especially when he brought home fresh game and it was made into stew. Truly, a good stew is the way to a man’s heart. But the thing was, Jacob and Esau’s mom, her name was Rebekah, she played favorites. She loved Jacob more. Maybe that was the start of a rivalry between the brothers. Many brothers are rivals but it’s got to cut a little closer to home when the thing you are competing for is your mother’s love.

And so, one day, when Jacob was making stew and Esau came back from a hunt, famished, Esau asked Jacob for some of the soup. Jacob, said, sure - but it will cost you your birthright. That’s a high price to pay for a bowl of soup! But Esau thought little of his birthright and said, sure!

The brothers continued to grow up and Esau married two women - it was normal in those days for men to have multiple wives - but these women were foreigners, from a different tribe - and because of that their in-laws didn’t much approve of them. And so, very likely, this was another sore spot in the brothers’ relationship.

And so, while Jacob and Esau’s father was on his deathbed - his name was Isaac - Isaac summoned Esau and asked him for one last dying wish. Will you go hunt for me? Bring back game and make me some of that delicious stew - as I said, a good stew is truly the way to a man’s heart - bring me some of that delicious stew that I might enjoy it one last time. And after that, I know I am going to die, so I will give you my final blessing. So Esau, a dutiful son, leaves to do his father’s last will.

But Rebekah, the wife of Isaac and the mother of Jacob and Esau, she was eavesdropping on this whole conversation. And the thing about Isaac, about her husband, at this point in his life, he was practically blind. So she said to the son she loved most, “Jacob, go get two goats from our flock so that we can turn them into stew, I will give it to you to serve your father and then YOU will get his blessing instead of your brother.”

“But mom,” Jacob must have replied, “that won’t work. Even if he’s blind, Dad will know I’m not Esau - he’s hairy and I’m not.” But his mom said, “Don’t worry, I’ve got a plan.” So she made the soup, dressed Jacob in his brother’s clothes, and covered his arms in the hide of the young goats.

When he went to go serve his dad the food, Isaac was confused. Are you really my oldest son, Esau? The voice is off but you brought me the delicious soup and your arms are hairy, you even smell like him…so he ate the soup and then blessed Jacob, thinking he was Esau. He gave him the best blessing, meant for his oldest son.

When Esau returned and brought his father stew made with the game from his hunt, his father was extremely distressed. And that’s an understatement. The poor dying man’s heart could barely take it and his whole body trembled violently. And he put two and two together and realized his youngest son had deceived him and said as such to Esau. And Esau, Esau was devastated - he fell to his knees, let out a cry filled with agony and wept - tears of distress and tears of anger. He was so mad at his brother. First he took his birthright from him. How stupid he was to be so young and naive and to trade it for a bowl of soup. And now this? He trembled with anger.

He practically begged his dad: “Bless me too! Didn’t you save a blessing for me?” Now, we might be thinking, why can’t Isaac just say the same thing to Esau that he said to Jacob? But that’s not how blessings worked back then. Isaac had blessed Jacob that he would be powerful, that his brother would be his servant, that he would have grain and wine aplenty. What was left to bless Esau with?

So Jacob gave Esau a blessing - that he would make himself a home, that he would live by his sword and serve his brother…but that he would be able to get out from his brother’s controlling grasp.

Talk about settling for a lesser blessing.

And Esau was beyond furious. He was tired of his brother’s scheming and planning. He was tired of the rivalry. Tired of competing for his mother’s love. And so he let his anger get the best of him and he started hatching his own plan. He would wait until his father had died, wait until the time of mourning was over, and then he would kill his brother.

But their mom caught wind of all this and sent Jacob away, to find women to marry, to start a life, and to wait until the day when Esau’s rage had abated.

Many years pass. Jacob gets married to two sisters, Rachel and Leah. They have children together. Jacob gets into some more trouble with his father-in-law…but that’s another story for another time. And so Jacob decided it was finally time to return to where he came from…and to make things right with Esau. But he was afraid of his brother, afraid of his rage, afraid that not only he would be killed but that so would his wives and his children. So he sent a messenger to his brother, to tell him: “I’m coming home. Please be kind. To me and to mine.”

His messenger returned and said, “Esau got your message and he’s coming to meet you…him and 100 men.”

100 men!? Why would he need so many? Surely to kill Jacob and all of his family. But Jacob, Jacob always had a plan. From stew for a birthright, goat skin on his arms, the trouble he’d gotten into with his father-in-law…his plans had worked every time. So he set aside a huge amount of gifts - goats, rams, and ewes, camels, cows and bulls…and he sent each ahead with a servant, in four groups, to meet his brother on the way. Each time his messenger was to tell Esau that this was a gift from his brother - no, not just from his brother, a gift from his servant.

And we know the rest of the story, Ken read it from the Scripture this morning. Esau met Jacob and tried to give back the gifts that he had been given asking for his kindness. But Jacob insisted - he knew he had done wrong by his brother. His other plans that involved his brother…those made their relationship all wrong, broken. It split them apart. This time, this plan, he wanted to make things right again. And Esau, who Jacob was so sure was coming to murder him… Esau accepts the gifts, accepts him, forgives him, meets him with kindness. And in that act, Jacob tells his brother that seeing his face again was like seeing the face of God - you know you’ve messed up and might deserve judgment, but there is only warmth and forgiveness there.

Let me tell you another story that matters. And since I took so long to tell you the last story, you’re going to get the cliff notes version of this one.

At the Last Supper Jesus told Peter that he would deny him three times. Peter swore he would never, he loved Jesus, how could he do such a thing? But Jesus was arrested and Peter was afraid for his life and he lied about knowing Jesus. Not once, not twice, but three times. He was ashamed of himself. He must have felt he had broken his relationship with Jesus, with his friend, his teacher, the person he loved and looked up to the most in the world. And on top of that, it was the last thing he did before Jesus died….but that’s not the end of the story. Jesus came back and came to Peter on the beach - and when Peter realized it was him, Peter got to Jesus as fast as he could and then Jesus asked him three times - do you love me? And three times Peter said yes. And three times Jesus said back, then feed my sheep.

Peter is given a chance to make his relationship with Jesus right again - and it’s not just the words, “Yes, Lord, you know I love you.” It’s also the new story and new direction that Peter has for his life. One - that his life no longer belongs to him. And two - that he will work the rest of his life for right relationship: right relationship with God and right relationship with the rest of the world, as Peter would live the rest of his days doing just what Jesus asked him to do, to feed his sheep.

These are two stories that matter. This sermon series we have been talking about stories that matter - money stories and faith stories, more often than not, they are one in the same.

We told the story of Judas’s betrayal of Jesus for money…but how he was still welcomed at the table.
We told the story of the Israelites in the desert, complaining that they’d rather be enslaved than be hungry and free - and God still fed them manna, re-writing their story.
We told the story of the man who walked away from Jesus grieving because he had many possessions and how we should open our hands to the poor and the needy.
We told the story of the widow who gave away all she had, a story of caution for churches and those who have the responsibility of gifts given to God through us, to use them for the good of all, to build God’s Kingdom here and now.
We told the story of Jubilee - of what could be on the day when all debts are forgiven, all burdens released.
And today we told two stories of right relationship being restored: two brothers and the giving of gifts and Peter and Jesus AND Peter and the whole world, the rock on which Jesus would build his church would go on to do what Jesus commanded, to feed his sheep.

And we are all called to right relationship. Right relationship with God, right relationships with each other…and our relationship to money can either help restore right relationship or a broken relationship with money can cause further brokenness. I’m NOT saying you have to have money to have a right relationship with God and neighbor - that’s not what I’m saying at all. More so, how you view and use your money is going to impact your relationships. With God and with neighbor. I don’t think I need to lay those out - we see it in our world and we’ve talked about it through all the stories we’ve told in this sermon series.

There is no denying that the stories we told are all faith stories and that they are money stories too. They are so intertwined that we can’t separate the two out.

Before I wrap this sermon up, I’d like to tell you one more story that matters…but it’s not my story to tell. That money story and that faith story is yours. What your money story is, how you’ve let go of parts, let God re-write it, how it continues to take shape, and how you use your gifts and resources to seek right relationship with God and neighbor.

That’s your money story. And it’s your faith story. And it’s no one’s to tell except yours.

AND, know you are not alone in your story - here in this space, we are all seeking right relationship:

Right relationship with God.
Right relationship with neighbor.
Right relationship with the world.
Right relationship with our money narratives that shape how we interact with God, neighbor, and world.

Your story is your own - and you are not alone.

Together, may we all share our stories and seek right relationships.

Amen.

"Struck Down, Full of Fish, Redeemed and Forgiven" a sermon on Acts 9:1-20 & John 21:1-19

Acts 9:1-20
John 21:1-19
“Struck Down, Full of Fish, Redeemed and Forgiven”
Preached Sunday, May 1, 2022

Okay - let me go ahead and state the obvious: those were some long Scriptures! And we’re really going to dig into the stories we just heard, so without further ado:

Story 1 from Acts:
Saul is breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord. In the chapters before this Saul oversaw and approved of the killing of Stephen the first Chritian martyr. The Bible says that Saul was ravaging the church. He was ransacking homes, arresting people, putting them in jail. In the reading from today he continues to look for ways to persecute those who were following the teachings of Jesus.

The Scripture paints the picture of a power-hungry man. He got the taste of power when people laid their cloaks at his feet and a man was killed before him. Here was a man on what he believed as a mission from God, a righteous mission - a crusade, if you will. And he had power and control and access to violence to do it.

He sounds like some people today. People that I’m honestly scared of. Scared of the power they crave, the control they wield, the violence they enact or oversee. Scared that they believe that what they are doing is sacred and they will achieve it by any means - not afraid of who they step over or on, who gets stoned and dies on the way. It’s truly frightening to me how many people think their so-called missions are from God when their end game is hate. White supremacists and nationalists are on the top of my mind - those who spew hatred of those who are different than them: different race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion - they say: I am right and you are wrong so I will hurt you, you don’t deserve to live a full life, or even live at all… and they cloak it in religious language to justify the violence. And so often people hear the religious language and it’s like a wolf in sheep’s clothing and they are fooled, swallowing agendas that are so far removed from the two greatest commandments, love of God and love of neighbor. Saul was a long way off from those two greatest commandments too.

If I was ever going to call someone an enemy, it would be Saul and men like him. If there was ever anyone to avoid, anyone to completely write off, anyone to give up on seeing any glimmer of good in - it would be Saul.

We’ll come back to this story but for now, story 2 from John:
The disciples have a lot on their minds. It’s been about a week since the resurrection of Jesus. They’ve seen Jesus twice since then. I think Peter and the other disciples were still trying to figure out what all this could mean, trying to figure out what their next steps were, trying to figure out how their lives were going to change - were they? What was next? Talk about information overload. And in that moment where the future was unknown and scary Peter says, I’m going fishing. He was a fisherman after all, before he started following the rabbi from Nazareth around. And the other disciples say: I’m going with you. In a time of uncertainty, of an unknown future, they return to what was familiar…only to not catch a single fish. Only to spend the whole night with their nets empty. Talk about a hopeless situation. I bet they were about ready to throw in the towel - not just on fishing but maybe the whole thing, the whole Jesus thing, the whole disciple thing - so many possible paths were before them…I know I can get decision fatigue or overwhelmed when I don’t know what the future holds. I bet the disciples felt that ten fold.

Bear with me here - it reminds me of the current dialogue about talking about climate change with Gen Z. Educators and climate activists are trying to find the line between correctly describing the predicament we are in and not pushing the students into despair or nihilism, instead giving them hope for a better future and equipping them with the tools to help shape that future.

Environmental Studies Professor, Sarah Jaquette Ray said this about teaching climate change to Gen Z students in a 2020 article from Fortune:

“Digging into environmental studies introduces young people to the myriad ways that our world’s interconnectedness threatens the future. Some students become so overwhelmed with despair and grief that they shut down. Many stop coming to lectures and seminars. They send depressed, despairing emails. They lose their bearings, question their relationships and education, and barely pass their classes…They often seem on the brink of nihilism before we even cover the syllabus.”

(https://fortune.com/2020/08/19/generation-z-climate-change-activism/)

Sometimes the situation just seems hopeless - perhaps something that disciples on that fishing boat and today’s students of the environment would agree upon.

And now our third story - but we have to go back to the story of Holy Week first:
The story of how Peter, who swore he would never deny or betray Jesus, denied knowing him 3 times in order to save his own skin. Denied ever knowing him, following him, having anything to do with him. And Jesus had known he was going to do it. Had told Peter such. And now he was alive again? How could he ever look Jesus in the eye again? He had messed up so royally - he had betrayed Jesus and everything he had ever stood for. Maybe he felt like he barely knew who he was anymore - beating himself up with shame and remorse. On that hopeless fishing boat, maybe he thought it was time to go home with his tail between his legs.

I think all of us can relate to Peter just by being human. We’ve all felt shame. We’ve all felt remorse. We’ve all messed up. We’ve all wanted to walk away, at some point or another.

Okay - wow. This is kind of depressing, isn’t it! Let’s take a deep breath - breathe out despair and breathe in hope - because remember, these stories aren’t over yet.


Back to Saul:
This man who deserves to be written off. This man who wields power and control and violence. Who has stoned a man, ransacked homes, thrown people in prison all for his agenda…he is struck down, struck blind, and hears, clear as day, the voice of Jesus: “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”

At this same time a disciple named Ananias had a vision from God to welcome Paul into his home and heal him of his blindness. And Ananias is like, “You’ve GOT to be kidding me!? Saul is the worst! I’d be putting my life at risk!” And yet Jesus tells him again to do it. And he does. Scales fall from Saul’s eyes. Saul is baptized. He stays in the house with Ananias and the other disciples for several days - man, I would have loved to have known what conversations were had in that house between Saul and the disciples in those days - and then Scripture says “and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying ‘He is the Son of God.’”

Saul, who we know as Paul, was completely and utterly redeemed. A man who would have scared any of us. A man hellbent on a misguided mission of hate and violence…he is irrevocably changed, redeemed - because God didn’t give up on him. And Ananias and the disciples in Damascus didn’t give up on him. If they had written Saul off like he deserved to be - how different his fate would have been - and the fate of the Church today - built so much on Paul’s letters.

Saul reminds us that no one is beyond redemption - not even those who seek power and control and wield violence today.

In preparation for this sermon I read stories about white nationalists who have left that life and ideology. I read one story about Derek Black, a young man who was raised by his parents to be at the center of the white nationalist movement. He curated a website alongside his father that actually targeted children and youth to draw them into the white nationalist movement. It’s a very long story, Derek’s is. But it’s a story of widening his world view of learning - it’s a story of a Jewish classmate, Matthew Stevenson, who, knowing who Derek was, invited him to weekly Shabbat dinners - much like Ananias opened his home to Paul. Derek eventually denounced white nationalism, which led to his parents denouncing him. (https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/the-white-flight-of-derek-black/2016/10/15/ed5f906a-8f3b-11e6-a6a3-d50061aa9fae_story.html)

There are actually many stories like Derek’s. Of people leaving cults of hate, often because they came to know those they were supposed to hate as loving, kind people. It’s hard to leave behind everything you’ve ever known - but when it’s leaving behind hate and moving toward love - never say impossible.

And so, back to the hopeless fishing boat with the disciples.
After a long night with empty nets, just as they were about to throw in the towel - a man appears on the beach. He calls out to them and tells them to cast the net on the other side of the boat. And as they do their nets are overflowing - they can hardly pull them in - it turns out to be 153 large fish! To go from ZERO for HOURS to such a large bounty - the man on the beach it had to be Jesus. Who else could take a hopeless situation and turn it into a feast? The disciples had fish in their nets now, yes - and they likely also had hope in their hearts. There was a future for them - a future of purpose and joy - as long as they followed the man on the beach, as long as they didn’t lose sight of Jesus.

And while many Gen Z and others regardless of generation, can so easily sink into nihilism, they’re also springing to action. “According to Pew, 32% of Gen Z respondents have participated in at least one major environmental action of the course of the past year, such as donating, volunteering, attending a rally, or contacting an elected official.” This is a whole 12 percent more than baby boomers. Yes, there is a lot to be done. But is it hopeless? No, not when there are bright young people who make the environment their top priority - of which 76% of Gen Z say it is their number one issue they care about. (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/sep/06/gen-z-climate-change-careers-jobs)

I pray that no situation in my life or this world is ever truly hopeless - I pray that all of us could have hope and act on it for the sake of our planet and each other, for love of God and love of neighbor.

And now, one more story to finish:
When the disciples start pulling the fish up into the boat, Peter abandons ship. Not to run away from Jesus, but to run - or in this case, swim - toward him. He may have been wondering how he could ever look him in the eyes again. He messed up so massively. But now he knows - he NEEDS to look Jesus in the eyes again. He needs to be with him right now - no, he couldn’t even wait for the boat to make it to shore. He puts on clothes and jumps in the water and swims to shore…and Jesus asks him, “Do you love me?” Peter says, “Yes, you know I love you!” A second time Jesus asks him, ‘Do you love me?” Peter says, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” And now a third time Jesus asks him. “Do you love me?” And the text says that Peter is hurt by this. I wonder if Peter was wondering - have I messed up this badly? This badly that you no longer believe what I say? Is it so bad that you no longer believe I love you? Have I messed up to the point I’m irreparable? But this third time, Jesus accepts his answer of “Lord, you know everything. You know I love you.” You know everything - all the times I’ve messed up. All the times I’ve denied you. All the shame and remorse I’ve felt - and now too - my love for you. Denied 3 times, Jesus now has given Peter the ability to walk back every denial with a statement of love. And he gives him forgiveness and purpose - don’t go home like a dog with your tail between your legs - follow me, feed my sheep - go wherever life takes you, follow me until the end. And we know that Peter does just that, faithfully loving and serving Jesus until he dies for him.

Peter reminds us that there is always forgiveness. That no sin, no mess up, no betrayal or denial of love of God or love of neighbor - it is ever beyond forgiveness.

Today we’ve looked at three stories from Scripture - people or situations that seemed utterly hopeless - but through the power of Jesus Christ, violence was struck down and its perpetrator redeemed. Nets were filled with fish and hearts were filled with hope. Statements of love were made and forgiveness found.

And all of this is the case because of the central story of our faith. One more story from Scripture, I promise to make it quick. And that story is:
That God loves us so much that God became human form in Jesus, lived and taught among us, healed and showed the way of love. And when the Good of Love died at a cross at the rejection of the world, not even the grave could hold him. Death was defeated. Christ was resurrected - and better yet, he shares his victory over death with us.

Because of this, because of the central story of our faith - there is no story that is ever a lost cause or hopeless - there is no story, no situation, no person ever beyond the hope and hand of God.

May we live as if this is so.

Amen.